Drangleic Exploration Journal
by Namhur
Summary: A young undead record his past endeavor in his journey in the lost kingdom, Drangleic, to battle his cruel fate. What had he experienced? What shall awaits him in the future? Dark Souls 2 Fanfic. Slight Spoiler.


My name is Slaine, a falconer knight from Volgen.

I said this first because the things I've experienced and I'm __about__ to experience in this cursed land may render me unable to remember my own name. Much of my childhood memory are already obscure in my head. Worst case, I may well not going to remember my very being and self. So I want to pronounce it as much as possible.

Perhaps this also applies to why I started writing a bloody mini journal now about what my experience here. I usually avoid them since I always thought they were some form of narcissism.

I suppose I should started from the beginning for why am I here.

* * *

It all begins on a single morning when I woke up to find my entire body has been...disfigured and rot, which led me to much surprise. Every one of my comrade thought I was a monster, and one even stab me in the heart in fear. However, much to everyone horror, I came back alive like nothing ever happened. My battalion captain soon resign me out of duty. Perhaps, partly out of fear for I might going to become and partly to keep the knights save out of the curse. Not long after, I was exiled from my hometown for the same reason.

After some consultation with an old soothsayer, I discover that I have been one of the unlucky human to be "branded" as an Undead. Leaving me no longer human and becomes an immortal creature that prey on souls. If I don't do something about it, I'll be destined to lose my entire humanity altogether, thus becoming a hollow. And once I became like that, there's no going back.

It's almost seems like a bad joke really. Not once did I ever remember to ever done something to led me to such circumstances. Though, since much of my memory are now vague, I may well not remember some mishaps and crimes I've done in the past.

It was during that time, I heard about a fallen kingdom named Drangleic. Something about that land attracted me, it's as if there's the answer for my "undead" problem lies. Regardless, I decided to venture upon that land with a glim hope for salvation. Whether what I found there shall bring answer or even more despair, at any case, I have to nothing to lose for. If things goes right, I may well became a legend of some sort for living through the curse. Fancy that.

After I arrived, a group of elder greeted me. They're not at all surprise since I'm not the only undead who came here to look for the cure. They gave me an effigy which was an item that allowed me to restore my human form. However, before I even began to let out a sigh of relief, they told me the effigy only restore my form, but not cure my curse. And, as I found out later on, I regress back to my foul form for each time I died. So much for easy solution.

Its been quite sometime since my arrival. I lost track of time somewhere along the way. Drangleic are certainly a mysterious and magical land. It's as if it exist within its own separate surreal pocket dimension with next to no geographical logic nor cohesiveness. At one time you could be in a poisonous valley and with a single elevator ride from there, you'll suddenly ended up in a haunting castle submerged in a lava. I'd expect the monstrous creature that populated the land would be much more out of this world, but as it turns out, many of them are about what you'd expect to come out of popular fantasy tale.

Much of the history in this land are obscure. I learned quite a bit of it through my interaction with several people, but as for why and how an important place came to be and a monster appearance was as such, their story lies within the within the items I found from either slaying the monster to opening treasure chest. However, my focus are to rid me of my grim destiny. I simply have no interest nor patience over past events that I couldn't change through my action in the present and no reasoning for how I should act after learning those story. Especially when I had to learned them through dry dead text.

In here, souls that I've gained from slaying my enemy work as a way for me to gain strength, but curiously also a currency for equipment and item. This cause me a dilemma for quite number of time over which to prioritize in given moment.

My entire time here has been a one giant dead and alive again cycle. This land cruel and deeply punishing. For each death, the souls I've gained is lost, but from each of them, I learn new things and I adapt to them as much as I could. From the hidden traps, to the monster behaviour, to their weakness. It's rather ironic that for each death, there's always a small victory that I gained in return. And every time I do finally managed to slay one of them big ugly bastard, there's always sense of accomplishment surging to me. Almost makes me feel like I'm a hero, really.

To my surprise, apart form the elders, there's...wait. I hear a footstep nearby. OH, DEAR LORD, IT'S-"

* * *

Apology for that. It appears another "branded" one from different dimension has invaded mine to kill me, by the name of Simone Belmont, an enigmatic warrior with a whip as a weapon. For what reason did he do that, I may never know for I think the best chance for any of us Undead to succeed on finding cure should have been by working together, like several others I've encountered before. Most of the one I met have a rather peculiar name ranging from DmitriyPain to REM Speedwagon. I can't imagine what kind of mother do these people have to be able to name them as such.

Nonetheless, let me rephrase what I was trying to say earlier. To my surprise, apart from the elders, there's quite handful of people here in Drangleic. Apart from adventurer, there's also a little settlement named Majula where I often goes to rest and shop. There's also a herald residing there who often help me in my journey.

Among the adventurer I've met, the most noteworthy is perhaps a warrior by the name Lucatiel from Mirrah. Just like me, she came here to look for a way to cure her curse. She lost her entire life due to it, and slowly she began to lose her sense of self. Several times I've helped her by listening to her story and asking her for help in defeating my enemy, but alas, it is unknown to me of what became of her, for she and I have been separated ever since the last time I've encountered her in Aldia Keep. She gave me her armor and weapon as a keepsake.

For what reason do I help her, I'm not entirely sure myself. Perhaps I sympathize over the plight of a woman who struggle back against the curse that rob her entire life. Perhaps I sympathize her over the fact that she may well be what I might become as I also began to lose my sense of self. Perhaps I'm helping her to preserve any semblance of humanity I have left. Selflessness is one of the greatest virtue about us after all, or so I've heard.

Thinking about her from time to time made me thought about the possible futility of my own quest. I may have felt that I progressing my journey little by little, but my curse is also slowly eroding me and the monster I've encountered became more and more almost impossible to beat, despair began to sprout little by little.

However, no matter how cruel this land has been or how grim my destiny might be, I could always hope there's better future for me if I keep fighting.

And I'm almost there.

In my heart I could I feel that I'm almost at the end of my journey.

Nashandra, queen of Vendrick herself has been aiding me and told me I could end my curse and many others by taking the throne. The Throne of Want and right now I'm sitting near it's entrance on Drangleic Castle.

However, several stories I heard was how this land had countless of kingdom that rise and fall periodically which worry me considering that I what am I about to do may well be just another iteration of an established cycle. Maybe what ahead of me will be another thing entirely.

Regardless, I'm pushing it through. I fear that I might became something else once I gained the throne or maybe existence shall disappear. Because of that, I shall leave this journal here for whoever might found it to pass on my tale. And also, let it be known that my last words shall be this.

Praise the sun!

* * *

Author Notes:

Hey guys! Wohoo, my second fanfic. :)

Its almost been a year since the last time I post something here, so I thought, well why not make another one. This time, to push myself further, I decided to do something different and post something related to a game that I've been playing a lot lately, which is Dark Souls 2. So, everything written above are very much based from my own experience. Slaine is my actual in-game character name and he's also a knight. The invaders that I listed above is also real players that I've encountered.

Aside from my own experience, I also add a little regarding my thoughts about the overall game (its world, mechanics, and thematical underline), so you could also say that this is also review in someway. In short, its a cool game, but compare to what I've seen out of the original game, its kind of a step down.

Hope y'all enjoy it! I'll see you next time. :D


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